Esther and Bad Jokes

I get together with a group of friends every couple weeks for a Bible study. This year we're going through Esther with Lydia Brownback's study guide (it's a very good guide; I definitely recommend it). 

I love Esther. It's so full of God's plans and how He's working all the bits together for good, even if Esther and the others couldn't see it until the end. It's one of my favourite books of the Bible, and I plan to use it to teach the children about God's sovereignty and providence later this year.

But: We were on chapter three on Sunday, the part where Haman gets all upset because Mordecai wouldn't bow down to him, and responds by plotting to kill not only Mordecai but also all the Mordecai's people (the entire Jewish nation). 

And the whole time, all I could think was, "That's a bit of overkill."